Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Refinement

I really believe that so much of riding is about the details. I'm not a perfectionist in every day life, but when it comes to dressage I'm a bit of a freak about everything being as close to perfect as possible. Yes, I realize I will never be perfect in the saddle, but there's no reason not to try for it. So, here is everything I see wrong with my riding and how Beefs is going. If you see something I don't in this boring as hell video, please feel free to tell me :)



1. I am still sitting off to the left and it's making my entire left leg pretty much useless.

2. I'm way too tight in my back and shoulders, which is probably part of why I'm sitting so damn crooked. I'm carrying one shoulder higher than the other. In all fairness, I hurt like hell and this was with a painkiller and four ibuprofen. Beefs isn't very big and he's hard for me to ride. I don't have this problem as bad on bigger horses. Ugh! Sit straight and relax, heifer!




3. Why the hell am I looking at my horse's head? Look up, damn it!

4. Beefs needs to stay more forward and through in the canter. I'm not going to be too hard on myself with this because the footing out there is pretty crappy and I'm not all that excited about sending him really forward while I have to keep an eye out for rocks/holes on uneven ground. There were parts of the canter work that were still really good and I was actually moderately pleased with the counter canter. It's far from perfect, but then he's far from a second level horse still. We'll get the canter work better when we're on better footing in Albuquerque.

5. The canter transition to the left was over dramatic and ugly. I didn't set him up enough for it.

6. I need to keep my fingers closed better and not let the reins slide through or get too long.

7. I'm still occasionally breaking my wrists, though this has gotten better.



So those are the main issues I see. I'm not trying to just focus on the negative. Beefs has been back to his normal, sweet self lately. He's getting better and I'm so proud of him. Riding him helps my balance and keeps me quiet since he responds to every tiny movement. He will make me a better rider in the long run. I realize we're probably never going to score eights as far as movement goes, but I'll take brains and athleticism over huge movement any day. It's so fun learning from Beefs and teaching him at the same time. I think, all in all, I'm very lucky to have him.

Anyone have any tips or advice?





20 comments:

  1. Try not to overthink it. :)

    I often will sing a song to myself to help me remember (especially during jumping, as it is not frowned upon to be vocal in the ring like it is in Dressage). Something like "aaaand leg, leg leg, halfffff halt.... shoulders back, shoulders back, hands up." Sometimes I find it distracts me more, but it kind of just depends on how I feel.

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    1. You're absolutely right! I totally over, think/analyze everything. I might terrify my horse if I sang to him, but I definitely need to do something to distract myself a little :)

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  2. Good luck with your schooling. We all have stuff to work on. Improving is a lifelong process.

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  3. We are all our own worst critics! You guys look super, I really impressed with the progress since the videos you posted early in the summer. His counter canter is quite nice considering the footing you are dealing with. While always good to be looking ahead don't forget to peek back sometimes so you can really appreciate where you are in the moment.

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    1. Thank you and you are absolutely right about appreciating where you are at in the moment.

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  4. You are a lovely rider! I think you're being a bit hard on yourself.

    I struggle a lot with #6 myself!

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    1. Thanks! I don't know why it's so hard to keep our fingers closed :)

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  5. Don't be so harsh on yourself, i think you guys look amazing & wish i could ride half as good as you do!

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    1. Thank you and I think you ride just as well as I do :)

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  6. Video is so helpful for me! I'm glad I'm not the only one who uses it as a training tool :)

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  7. Video is my favorite and I too want to be perfect and its refining those little things that end up proving to be sooo much more.

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  8. 8) Beefs is gorgeous and I love him.

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  9. I think you both look pretty good. I agree about the forwardness but think you are doing the right thing by not pushing too much in iffy footing. I'm new to your blog so I don't have anything to compare with, but I'd say you're doing well. Try not to over think and enjoy the ride :-)

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  10. Wasn't able to watch the video, but I know the feeling of being super critical of yourself on video. I am the same way, but because I am often without my trainer I know it's the only way I'll get better. I guess that's the good thing about having a critical eye, being able to critique myself?

    Something I tried recently was having a friend video me in the middle of my ride, then I watched the video while my horse got a walk break. I was able to see some things I could easily fix for the 2nd part of my ride and was able to make adjustments. Maybe that's a positive way for you to use your video opportunities?

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    1. That's a great idea and I will definitely try it! Thanks so much!

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